Hagalaz

The hail stone, the mother rune, the cosmic seed, the destructive force of nature. There is nothing gentle about Hagalaz. For some it represents mindless destruction, the ruination of carefully laid plans; for others there is a perfect and crystalline plan hidden deep within the workings of Hagalaz – it sets right the balance, as violently as it needs to.

Hagalaz begins the second Aett (group of eight runes) of the Elder Futhark; this Aett is known as Hel’s Aett and it starts with a bang with the powerful and disruptive energies of Hagalaz. One way of looking at the Aetts is to see them as a life journey and, in this sense, the first Aett represents the influences that go to make up the individual – manifested in the joyful and fulfilled rune of Wunjo. Hel’s Aett appears at the point where the individual is ready to be tested, fate takes hold and we steel ourselves to weather the storm, knowing that it is only through testing and challenge that we can grow and develop.

When I first started working with the runes I felt a certain dread when Hagalaz appeared in my own readings (which it often did); I was a teenager and I recognise now that the Hagalaz rune is bound to turn up for every young person making the journey from childhood into adulthood. Hagalaz represents those things that are outside our control, its literal meaning is ‘hail’, when the weather goes really crazy and pelts the land and anyone who gets in its way. The onslaught of Hagalaz can feel painful and undeserved, but there are great gifts to be reaped from this rune. Hagalaz is the ninth rune, nine being the number of worlds within the great World Tree – Hagalaz is not just a hail stone, it is a seed, containing within it all possibility and potential. The hail storm of Hagalaz clears away stagnation, weakness and disease, and once it is passed the way is cleared and strong new growth can manifest.

The appearance of Hagalaz in a reading suggests that a time of testing is at hand, it is up to the individual to find the strength within themselves to turn adversity into opportunity and destruction into rebirth.

Traditional meaning: Hail, grain

Pronunciation: ha-gah-laz

Number: 9

Gods: Hel, Holda

Colour: Blue, indigo, grey

Elements: As the rune of the hail stone Hagalaz is primarily associated with ice; however, all of the elements resonate with the rune that epitomises the great forces of nature.

Hour: 20:30-21:30

Half month (Sunna’s Chariot in Hagalaz): October 28th-November 13th

Look closely and you will find an idealist nestling within the complex layers of the Hagalaz individual. The position of Sunna’s Chariot within the hail storm of Hagalaz can make the Hagalaz individual unpredictable. The influences elsewhere in the Hagalaz chart will make the difference between someone prone to rigidity and black and white thinking, and someone intent on leading transformation on a grand scale. Individuals with a birth rune in Hagalaz are likely to be visionaries. They can be misunderstood as they are comfortable with using unorthodox methods to reach their goal and can be ruthless when something or someone gets in their way.